"I'll miss Tony," Navratilova, 55, told reporters backstage after her elimination. "We had a lot of fun. I started feeling the dances better. And I really felt so much more confident yesterday than the first week. Go figure."

When asked if he had any regrets about leaving the show first, Dovolani told PEOPLE, "Absolutely not," adding, "Martina's probably one of the most wonderful people I've ever had the chance to work with. Not only is she a female icon, but she has probably the kindest heart I've ever met. So, I'm actually pretty destroyed right now."

With two weeks of combined scores, Martina Navratilova, Melissa Gilbert, Gavin DeGraw and Gladys Knight ranked lowest among the 12 couples on the show. But which celebrity and their pro partner were in jeopardy of heading home once votes were added into the equation? And who was the first to leave the ballroom this season?

A new round of ballroom competition began Monday night on ABC – and if the season premiere is any indication, it's going to be a hot one. "Without a doubt, this is the best first show of any season," head judge Len Goodman said after the night's final performance.

Keep reading to find out who took an early lead, but beware: spoilers ahead.

Sherri Shepherd, who will dance with Val Chmerkovskiy, calls her stint on the ballroom dance competition a "dream come true."

She'll face off against soap star-turned-singer Jack Wagner, who will partner with Anna Trebunskaya. Tennis icon Martina Navratilova will also hit the floor with Tony Dovolani. And Family Matters star Jaleel White will compete alongside former champ Kym Johnson.

Spring is just around the corner – and so is season 14 of Dancing with the Stars! Twelve new cast members, including Sherri Shepherd, and their professional dance partners were announced on Good Morning America Tuesday.

"It's a dream come true," The View co-host told PEOPLE about training with returning pro Val Chmerkovskiy. "He is one of the best frickin' dancers in the world. He's hot!"

And here's who else is preparing to take the ballroom by storm when the show's new season premieres March 19 on ABC:

Martina Navratilova's goal of climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro was dashed prematurely after an illness landed her in a Kenyan hospital four days into her journey.

The tennis pro was taken off the climb up the 19,341 ft. Tanzanian mountain after developing high altitude pulmonary oedema, a condition marked by fluid in the lungs. Navratilova, 54, was one of 27 climbers making the trek to raise money for Laureus Sport for Good Foundation charity, which uses sports as a means to combat social challenges like substance abuse and mental health problems.

"I'm disappointed not to be able to complete this amazing journey," she said in a statement released Friday as she recovered at Nairobi Hospital in Kenya. "It was something that I have wanted to do for so long, but it was not to be. I am so pleased that we got it going and I will be watching and waiting for news from the climb when they reach the summit [on Saturday]."

The Mt. Kilimanjaro climb began Dec. 6 and is expected to wrap up on Dec. 11.

Six months after revealing that she had breast cancer, Martina Navratilova has some good news about her health. "I am cancer-free," she tells PEOPLE, happily.

"Technically I was cancer free after the lumpectomy in March," the tennis champ says. "But then I had radiation to make sure that it killed any cancer cells that were still hovering about."

Navratilova, who was diagnosed with a non-invasive form of breast cancer called ductal carcinoma, underwent six weeks of grueling radiation treatment. "Surgery was easy," she says, "but the radiation was trickier. It was six weeks of really low energy. Radiation just sucks your energy like a vampire, day by day."